Dance of the Flying Swans
by maskedcat
Summary: Swan Lake...... retold. Odette really has some depth, Rothbart has a motive, and everything has a reason


Dance of the Flying Swans- Prologue  
  
The country our story begins in is that of Gilborn, the largest country in the world. Gilborn was a deeply wooded country, although in more recent times parts of the wood had been cleared out for people to make towns and cities. Because of its highly wooded state, Gilborn was home to the more magical things in this world. Faeries, elves, goblins, and mythical beasts all inhabited the great Gilbornian forests. These creatures provided the human dwellers of Gilborn with magical spells, charms, potions, and of course, mischief. It was not too uncommon to find someone, say, levitating in the air, after a particularly naughty faerie had visited. Mostly, the spells would wear off in a few days, but there was the occasional enchantment that would stick with the unfortunate receiver for life, unless another faerie performed the antidote spell. But really, no one minded the funny little creatures; there were many that were actually proud that they lived in such a magical land.  
  
Another advantage (or disadvantage) of the faeries and such; was their tendency to rub off some of their magic onto some unsuspecting human. At the birth of a new youngster, it was very possible that if there was a magical being near, the impressionable child could develop some kind of magical ability. Because of this, Gilborn was full of magicians, wizards, sorcerers, and enchantresses. Mostly, these sorts of people used their unusual talents for good; however, there was the occasional "bad apple". Magical or not, all citizens of Gilborn were thought to be special, just because they lived in this (literally) enchanting country.  
  
The king of Gilborn was a young man named Hans. Hans had been crowned king at the fairly young age of sixteen, after a freak accident managed to wipe out the rest of the ruling family. This lead to a lot of superstition about Hans' family. It was said that anyone in the family was doomed to die an untimely, early death. Hans was tall strong, and handsome, with a body that could rival a god's. His fine chiseled features, and sandy brown locks could make any girl swoon. However, because of superstition, none of these swooning girls were prepared to be Hans' wife.  
  
King Hans was in control of a large court, and an even larger castle. The five storied, mile-long castle was home to some of the most powerful and well-bred people in the land. His court jester was a marvelously funny young man with seven years of jester and comedian training (In those days, if you wanted to be a jester, you could actually take private lessons with older, retired jesters of high caliber). Blythe, as was that his name, had been handpicked out of a good eight hundred vying for the title of "Royal Court Jester". Blythe had had to pull out all the stops for that audition, performing incredibly difficult tricks on his hands that made cat look clumsy. It had been a tough choice, but in the end, Blythe had been hired. He now fulfilled his role in the great hall, still entertaining royal guests to this day.  
  
The court philosophers too, had undergone an excruciatingly hard test to prove their worth, but Hinkman, Ogberm and Zod had eventually been selected. The three men now lived in the huge, fancy rooms specifically designed for them by Hans himself. They enjoyed the most scrumptious meals, the finest clothes, and very high salaries. In return for the accommodations, Hinkman, Ogberm and Zod were required to assist the king and his family in any philosophical way he needed, for the rest of his line's rule.  
  
The list of court members could go on and on, and I could list the many titles King Hans managed to fill, but I will be kind, and wont. However, there is one more very important person that I must mention. The court mage/sorcerer, Rothbart. To put it simply, Rothbart was evil. I mean REALLY evil, probably the most evil man in the world. But don't let me get carried away; there is a real story here. Yes, so Rothbart was the court mage. Aider of Hans in if ever he needed magical help. Rothbart helped, and even managed to look respectfully at the king for many years, but underneath, he was just a boiling thing of lava, waiting to erupt. Rothbart was jealous of the king, envying his power and position, and even his good looks. His jealousy was hidden well from Hans, but in his innermost circles, Rothbart would let loose, yelling about how much he despised Hans. Others tried to warn Hans of the impending danger his "faithful" court mage imposed, but trusting Hans didn't heed their warnings (a very stupid thing to do on his part). It was rumored that Rothbart had been the spreader of that little suspicion about Hans' family line, and was even said by some to have been the main cause of WHY that suspicion was around in the first place. However, this story does not revolve around Rothbart (too much) so I will move on.  
  
One day, Hans was feeling particularly cooped up in his oh-so-little castle, so he went out for a ride. He rode for days on end, only pausing for two quick meals a day (thoughtfully packed by his dear chef Gaston). Why he needed to ride this far away is beyond me, but the point is that he did. He rode through almost half his country before anything changed. And what changed was actually very big.  
  
The change occurred when Hans was thundering down a pretty narrow path, at top speed on his horse, Firebird. Too wrapped up in his own thoughts, Hans barely even noticed the peasant girl who he nearly ran over.  
  
The peasant was Simone, a girl returning from a spring with two buckets of water for her family. She was about seventeen, almost Hans' age, and quite pretty too. Her chocolate brown hair spilled all the way down to her hips, and her sparkling green eyes radiated the light off of them in every which way. Merely walking down the path back home, Simone had been very surprised when she saw a tall man on horseback coming full-speed at her. The two buckets of water that she had been carrying flew out of her hands, splashing both her and the man. The horse reared up, stopping just a hair's breath from the froze Simone, and flinging the man onto the ground.  
  
After closer examination, the (now unconscious) man turned out to be Simone's own ruler, King Hans. Simone was horrified. However, when the slightly startled Hans woke up, he thought the whole incident hilarious, and found nothing to be angry about at all. In such good spirits was he that Hans even offered to take Simone back to town on his horse. Simone agreed, and the pair rode off his horse.  
  
Over the course of one single day, our kind King and fair peasant girl succeeded in falling in love. Hans decided that he could spare a few nights in that town, and rented a room at a village inn. Of course, he was careful to keep his face shielded and managed to stay inconspicuous as he visited Simone. As the days progressed, so did their love for each other, but Hans knew that he had to return to his duty as ruler, and bid farewell to Simone after only a week. Both were heartbroken, and promised to see each other again before they died, but this promise was broken, as you will eventually find out.  
  
When Hans returned, an angry and volatile Rothbart greeted him. Rothbart declared that HE should be the king, HE deserved it! Rothbart went on a magical killing spree, murdering Hans and his family brutally. Rothbart took the throne, knowing full well that no one could stop him, there was no one left of the royal blood. Oh how wrong he was.  
  
Only days after Hans left, Simone discovered that she was pregnant. She knew the child was Hans', but didn't tell her family about it. She successfully kept her pregnancy secret until the very end, giving birth one day in an old barn, alone, with no one to help. The baby was a girl, tiny and delicate and beautiful. Simone wanted to keep her forever. However, she knew that she couldn't, and devised a plan to send the girl away. Not wishing to get too attached to the baby, Simone refrained from naming her, although in the later years she thought this might have been a bad idea. Finally, she packed the girl into a basket, and sent her down the river, praying that someone would find her baby before it was too late.  
  
As luck would have it, after only three days of drifting, an elderly couple found the basket when they were out taking a walk. Imagine their surprise when they undid the bundle of cloth and found a half starved, newborn baby. Having never had children of their own, the couple immediately grew attached to the little baby girl and decided that they would keep and raise her as their own.  
  
Marie and Paul brought her up wonderfully for two people who had never had children. Odette, as that was what they named her, grew up to be a headstrong, determined little girl, with a hugely adventurous spirit, and a slight knack for getting in trouble. By the age of ten, Odette accomplished breaking both arms, her leg, and three fingers. It was very safe to say her parents were on the verge of a permanent breakdown.  
  
Odette was fearless at ten, and proved it over and over again. She was strong and agile, with the body of a young dancer. She could climb trees like a monkey, and had managed to teach herself to swim so well, that she could beat most people twice her age in a race. She had no fears, or at least, tried to make people think that. In a side of her that was rarely let out of her mind, Odette was a completely different child. She had fears in this side, she had obstacles. However, so good was she in hiding this part of her that no one but her knew of it but Odette.  
  
How do I know? Well I should; this is my story. My name is Odette.  
  
(A/N- I promise in the next chapter I'll go into the normal Swan Lake story. At least I'll try.)  
  
maskedcat 


End file.
